Current Affairs 8th Class

Category : 8th Class

Economic Activities and Social Justice

Economic activities refer to the activities related to the production, distribution and management of material things. Mines, factories, markets, etc., are all covered under this broad term. Special laws are needed to regulate such activities and stop the exploitation of those in a weaker position. Laws are needed to protect not only specific groups (workers or consumers) but also the general public.

LAWS ON ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES LAWS RELATED TO WORKERS

In a poor country like ours, workers are always at a disadvantage. There is a great deal of unemployment, so they are often ready to work for low wages and in subhuman conditions. Quite often they are not even aware of the laws made to protect them. Even if they are aware, they are afraid of protesting because they know that if they refuse a job, there will be many others who will be willing more to work in their place. Let us look at some of the laws made to protect workers.

Minimum Wages Act

The Minimum Wages Act, passed in 1948, fixes the minimum daily wage that must be paid to a worker. However, it applies to onlv certain kinds of activities, for example, industrial and construction. It does not apply to domestic work. The minimum wage is revised from time to time to keep pace with the rising prices. In April 2011, it was revised to Rs.115 per day.

Laws on Safety and Welfare

There are several laws dealing with the safety and welfare of workers, especially those occupied in dangerous jobs. The Factories Act of 1948, fixes a 48-hour week for workers and sets standards for lighting, ventilation and safety that the employer must abide by. Similarly, the Dock Workers (Safety, Health and Welfare) Act (1986) and the Mines Act (1952) deal with the working conditions of workers in ports and docks, and mines, respectively.

Know a Little More

In 2011, India (and 469 other countries) signed a United Nations Convention (agreement) to give domestic workers certain basic rights. This will help India's 4.75 million domestic workers (mostly women). In the near future, they will be assured of minimum wages,   fixed working hours and a weekly rest day, etc.

Fighting for Rights

The Trade Unions Act recognises the Fundamental Right of workers to form unions to fight for better working conditions. It also sets out rules according to which such unions should be formed. The Industrial Disputes Act provides for the setting up of labour courts and industrial tribunals by the Central and state governments. Labour courts deal with issues concerning individuals, such as dismissal from job. Industrial tribunals are courts that deal with collective disputes, such as those relating to wages and working hours.

LAWS RELATED TO WOMEN AND CHILDREN

Prohibition of Child Labour

The Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986 makes it illegal to employ children under 14 in any dangerous job, for example, in factories. In 2006 and again in 2008, this law was amended and employing children under 18 for any kind of work, including domestic work, was made punishable.

Q. What do you feel about children having to work for a living? How can you help such children?

Protection of Women's Rights

According to Article 39 (d) of the Constitution, it is the responsibility of the State to secure and promote equal pay for equal work for both men and women. The Equal Remuneration Act of 1976 says, 'It is the duty of the employer to pay equal remuneration to men and women workers for same work or work of similar nature." Women are entitled to six-and-a-half months of maternity leave in government jobs and now the Union government has agreed to extend this provision to women in the private sector as well.

A public awareness poster about consumer rights issued by the government

LAWS RELATED TO CONSUMERS

You may have seen advertisements on television and in newspapers and magazines on the rights of consumers and the remedies available to them. The goods that people buy, such as machinery, electrical goods, food and medicines, are supposed to be made according to certain standards. If people are not satisfied with the goods they buy, they can go to special courts called consumer courts set up under the Consumer Protection Act, 1986. This law lays down the rights of consumers and makes provisions for the protection of these rights. There are consumer courts at the district level, state level and national level.

LAWS ON INDUSTRIAL LIABILITY

There are several laws that hold industries responsible for the health and safety of not only their workers, but also the general public. Under these laws, industries are supposed to take proper steps to prevent accidents and to ensure that pollutants do not contaminate the surrounding air, water and soil. The most wide- ranging of these laws, called the Environment (Protection) Act, was framed in 1986, after the Bhopal Gas Tragedy. At that time, pollution and safety laws were not so strict and no one looked upon having a clean environment as a Fundamental Right.

The government of India (on behalf of the victims of Bhopal Gas Tragedy) filed a case against Union Carbide and sought a compensation of $3.3 billion. However, later it settled for just $470 million, so the victims received very small amounts as compensation. The Supreme Court directed Union Carbide to set up a hospital for the victims. The hospital, called the Bhopal Memorial Hospital and Research Centre, was opened in 1998. In 2010, a trial court held officials of Union Carbide, including its Chairman, guilty of causing death by negligence and sentenced them to two years of imprisonment.

SAFETY, POLLUTION AND THE POOR

Safety and pollution measures cost money, so industries are always trying to find ways of avoiding such measures. In the Union Carbide Plant, for example, proper safety measures had not been taken to cut costs and this had caused several small accidents before the final disaster. But no one had bothered about it because the accidents had affected only poor workers and it was felt that the factory was doing more good than harm by providing jobs.

On a much larger scale, developed (or richer) countries set up dangerous industries in developing (or poorer) countries such as India, Bangladesh and Pakistan, because safety and pollution laws are less strict in these countries and also due to unemployment problem people are in need for jobs. Thus the cost of labour is far lesser in developing countries. This means workers are willing to work for far lower salaries and in dangerous conditions. One such dangerous industry is ship-breaking. When a ship can no longer be used, it is broken down to retrieve useful material. In this process, however, a lot of poisonous substances are released into the environment.

Let us look at this from another angle. After the Bhopal disaster, laws have become stricter and awareness has grown about the right to a clean environment. Courts have asked industries to shut down, or move away from residential areas and compensate victims of pollution. However, here too, the balance is tilted against the poor. When small, polluting industries, for example, those engaged in metal work or recycling plastic, are shut down or shifted away to the outskirts of a city, the poor lose their jobs. When slums are demolished (broken down) to make a city cleaner, the poor lose their homes and their livelihood.

RESETTLEMENT OF SLUM-DWELLERS                  

In June 2006, slum-dwellers in Delhi were shifted to a tract of undeveloped land on the north- west fringes of the city. There were no shops, no health centre, no water supply, no drains... The 8000-odd families living in this settlement, called Savda Ghevra, got together to create their own facilities. The government has, over the years, provided some facilities such as electricity, roads and schools. But even now the residents depend on tankers for water or they have to buy it from private suppliers.